Devin Di Dakta Says He Couldn’t Date A JLP Supporter
Devin Di Dakta is as serious about politics as he is music. So serious, in fact, that he couldn’t date a woman who supports the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
“Mi tek politics serious,” the Grammy nominee told Teatime With Shelly-Ann Curran on Friday. “Some people a swing voters which is good cause you have people weh might feel like ‘Labourite a perform better now, mi will vote for Labourite’ (vice versa)… But mi tek politics serious. Like, me couldn’t deal with a girl weh a Labourite.”
A proud supporter of the opposition People’s National Party, Devin previously aired his ambitions of pursuing representational politics after his music career. While the field is often criticized for producing crooks, the entertainer believes he can ignite positive change.
“Mi haffi go inna politics man because mi see whole heap a people pon the internet some of the time a fight politics…” the Politics singjay said. “There is no way you can beat the system from outside. If you feel like there is something you need to change or help work on, yuh haffi find (your way in).”
He went on, “Politics nuh as bad as dem mek it seem. Some of the people dem inna politics are wicked and yuh cya change that because some people inna the music industry a wicked. If you go work inna the police force, some a dem a go wicked. So, everywhere you go, you a go find wicked people weh give the entire establishment a bad name. You cya really think about them. You have to think about weh you a go inna the party go do… Try your best to be the same person weh you go in there as cause dem will change you too – that’s possible.”
Despite his PNP allegiance, the When I’m Gone artist isn’t blinded by politics, hailing prime minister Andrew Holness and other JLP figures like Alando Terrelonge (State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade), and late PM Edward Seaga. For Devin, the focus should be on serving Jamaican people.
“It really go back to the people dem. So, let’s say, for example, Andrew Holness wake up and seh, ‘Hear weh gwaan. We a drop tax fi all of the rich people dem…but in return, unno now haffi create unno charities and help out back poor people’… Nothing nuh wrong with that… If Mark Golding forward tomorrow morning and seh, ‘Hear wah. Unno a di richest set of people; unno need fi pay whole heap more tax because unno nuh responsible enough or unno nah try fi help people. So, when we get dah money yah, we a go use it fi help poor people’…
“If yuh nuh greedy, as a man weh a mek a billion, you supposed to feel good inna yourself fi know seh whatever cut the government a tek, it actually a help people. But it also go to the government now fi tek dah money deh and do weh dem actually seh dem a go do. So, we waan see the good road and the hospital. The police dem fi a get pay, teacher, nurse, and all of dem people deh. So, it really tek the people dem a the country, regardless of which party yuh inna. So, that’s how I really look pon it.”
Until his career change, Devin is busy operating his Saint Kingston Music label. His latest releases include XX Chromosomes, Gypsy Love and Badman (Remix) with Suku Ward and Bay-C.